Dear Honda, Please Bring The Civic Si In Pakistan
News has started to pop that Honda Atlas is going to re-launch the Civic Turbo in a couple of months. After being temporarily discontinued for a few months mainly due to the engine knocking issue, Honda Pakistan has finally come up with a solution (ECU remapping). Since we are excited to see the new and improved Civic Turbo, let’s take a moment and ask a little more from Honda.
Honda Civic Si
The Si stands for “Sport Injected” and as the name suggests these cars are sports oriented rather than comfort when compared to the regular variant of Civic. Si variant also features more stylish and aggressive body kit giving the car a strong presence on the road and “Go-Fast” looks. There are bigger and better-looking alloy wheels too which complement the overall stylings.
Interior
Interior remains the same as no major changes are made, but various elements such as seats and steering wheel stitching, gear knob and driver information display have been painted in Red color which complements the whole aggressive theme of the car.
Features
When it comes to features, the regular civic is already best in class with a handsome amount of optional and standard features. Si is no exception as it borrows everything from the standard version and can be equipped with features such as lane departure, steering assist, blind sports monitoring to name a few. But there is one thing no car enthusiast can miss, and that is a manual gearbox. Yes! Si can be bought with a manual transmission which can boost the driving pleasure by miles.
Engine and Performance
Things are little different in the engine department. Though the engine is the same earth dreams 1.5L unit in the regular variant, but Si variant gets more power output. Thanks to a bigger turbo and boost pressure (20.3psi) this car can produce around 205HP. Considering the 1.5L, this is a huge number and reduces the car 0-100 times to a respectable 6.7s compared to 7.5 of the regular version.
Other improvements include:
- lower compression ratio (10.3:1 vs. 10.6:1)
- helical limited-slip differential
- larger front brake rotors (12.3″ vs. 11.1″ vented front and 11.1″ vs. 10.2″ solid rear)
- two-mode damper system with normal and firm settings
- Sports mode replaces ECON mode – increases suspension damping, reduces power steering assist, increases throttle sensitivity, and raises the activation threshold of the Vehicle Stability Assist system
- 235/40R18 91W tires vs. 215/50R17 91H
- 7% stiffer front spring rate
- 18% stiffer front upper damper mounts
- 7% stiffer front stabilizer bar rate
- 32% stiffer rear spring rate
- Solid vs. fluid-filled front and rear compliance bushings (rear shared with the Type R)
- High-stiffness rear upper control arms (shared with the Type R)
- 26% stiffer rear stabilizer bar rate
- Si-specific seats with thicker side bolsters, non-adjustable headrests, and stitched “Si” logos
- center-mounted polygonal exhaust outlet
- the higher-flowing intake system
- 23% higher-flowing exhaust system
- aluminum clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals
- 10% shorter shifter stroke
- revised shift linkage
- increased rigidity of shifter bracket mount
- additional items in DID include G-force meter, turbo boost gauge with PSI indication, lap timer, throttle percentage, and brake pressure
Whereas the price is concerned, Si starts at $24,100 which is same as the Civic Turbo internationally. So it’s not crazy expensive considering the amount of horsepower this car can produce. Since many of us in Pakistan buy the Civic Turbo and spend a lot of money for further power increase and exterior add-ons. So I think It will be a smart move if Honda brings the Si variant here in Pakistan. So please Honda if you are listening then bring the Civic Si in Pakistan or at least the Si exterior package to add more sporty taste to the Civic. Please!